Sound processing registering a word in a dictionary

Abstract

The present invention relates to a voice recognition apparatus capable of easily registering a word which has not been registered. The registering of an unregistered word into a dictionary can be easily performed without causing a significant increase in the size of the dictionary. The clustering unit detects a cluster (detected cluster) to which a new unregistered word is to be added as a new member, from existing clusters obtained by clustering unregistered words. The unregistered word is added as a new member to the detected cluster, and the cluster is divided depending on the members of the cluster such that unregistered words which are acoustically similar to each other belong to the same cluster. The maintenance unit updates the word dictionary on the basis of the result of the clustering. The present invention may be applied to a robot including a voice recognition apparatus.

Description

[0001]This application is a 371 of PCT / JPT / 02 / 03248 Apr. 1, 2002TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates to a voice recognition apparatus, and more particularly, to a voice recognition apparatus capable of easily updating a dictionary in which a word or a phrase to be recognized is registered.BACKGROUND ART[0003]In conventional voice recognition apparatuses, recognition of a voice uttered by a user is performed by referring to a dictionary in which words to be recognized are registered.[0004]Therefore, in the voice recognition apparatus, only words which are registered in the dictionary (hereinafter, such words will be referred to simply as registered words) can be recognized, and words which are not registered in the dictionary cannot be recognized. Herein, words which are not registered in the dictionary are referred to as unregistered words. In the conventional voice recognition apparatus, if an utterance made by a user includes an unregistered word, the unregistered wo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique of easily registering an unregistered word into a dictionary without causing a significant increase in the size of the dictionary.

Problems solved by technology

In the conventional voice recognition apparatus, if an utterance made by a user includes an unregistered word, the unregistered word is recognized as one of words (registered words) registered in the dictionary, and thus the result of recognition of the unregistered word becomes wrong.

If an unregistered word is recognized incorrectly, the incorrect recognition can influence recognition of a word prior to or subsequent to the unregistered word, that is, can cause such a word to be recognized incorrectly.

However, in this method, the user has to do a troublesome task to input the entry.

However, in this method, an entry corresponding to the new cluster is registered into a dictionary each time an unregistered word is detected, and thus the size of the dictionary increases as unregistered words are registered.

As a result, a greater time and a greater amount of process are necessary in voice recognition performed thereafter.

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